Korean Food 101

Hey everyone! We’re back again after a long holiday. This time, we’re going to be talking about Korea food. For those of you who are still beginners to the world of Korean cuisine, we’ve listed a couple of must-know dishes below. Now keep in mind that this is only a small portion to a colossal amount of dishes in Korea.

1. Bulgogi (불고기)

Bulgogi is a very popular dish of grilled marinated beef. It is often grilled with sliced onions, garlic, and a few other vegetables to add some delicious kick to the flavor. This dish will usually be served with a plate full of lettuce and a smaller plate of ssamjang (thick, spicy paste). We highly recommend wrapping the meat and ssamjang in a leaf of lettuce for a whole new world of culinary taste.

2. Tteokbokki (떡볶이)

This particular spicy dish is essentially made with rice cakes, fish cakes, vegetables, and sweet red chili sauce. It is quite well known as street food since the majority of the people who enjoy it are children. They often eat it as a light snack right after school or academies, so it will be pretty common to find these on the street.

3. Soondae (순대)

Soondae is basically Korean sausage. Similar to Tteokbokki, it is widely known as street food. Unlike the usual meaty sausages sold in America or Europe, soondae is steamed to a soft roll, which is then cut into bite sized oval pieces for a convenient feast. They are served with a mixture of salt and ground pepper for you to lightly dab for an even more delicious experience. We highly recommend ordering a dish alongside tteokbokki.

4. Bibimbap (비빔밥)

This dish is a bowl of rice mixed with a bunch of vegetables and spicy gochujang (chili pepper paste) topped with a fried egg. It is a very famous and popular dish found in most traditional Korean restaurants.

5. Pajeon (파전)

Pajeon is one of the various versions of Korean style pancakes that catches the eyes of everyone. This vegetable pancake is made with wheat flour, green onions, and other types of vegetables. Other versions consist of seafood, kimchi, and etc. Most Koreans crave this dish with makgeolli (Korean rice wine) when it usually rains.

6. Samgyeopsal (삼겹살)

Now this dish is famous not just in Korea, but all around the world. When someone mentions Korean BBQ, they are most often very familiar with it. It is a meat dish, hence the name Korean BBQ. It is usually eaten after work, at parties, or at home with family and friends. Samgyeopsal means grilled pork strips and these strips of meat are served with side dishes. Some of the main side dishes consist of kimchi, mushrooms, garlic, onions, and salad. Koreans love to wrap the bite sized meat in lettuce leaves along with small portions of other food for the best combo.

7.Naengmyeon (냉면)

Naengmyeon is one of the most common dishes you can find anywhere in Korea. It’s known as cold buckwheat noodles in English and this dish consists of buckwheat noodles, sliced cucumbers, sliced meat, and a hard-boiled egg. It is especially popular during the summer due to its icy cold soup.

8. Patbingsu (팥빙수)

The last dish for today is called Patbingsu, or shaved ice dessert. A traditional Korean dessert that is made with red bean paste, condensed milk, and shaved ice. Before, these three ingredients were all that were needed to make this delicious dessert. But now, it has evolved into a sort of art topped with colorful fruits and other sweet snacks.

These are only a few out of many tasty delicacies found in South Korea. If you are having a difficult time looking for delicious food out on the street, we hope this helped in finding your next meal.